WHERE’S WILDLIFE • WILDFLOWER FIELD GUIDE

Thyme-leaf Speedwell

Veronica serpyllifolia

Pronunciation: veh-RON-ih-kuh ser-pil-ih-FOH-lee-uh

A low perennial with small oval leaves and delicate white to pale blue flowers traced with darker veins. Its leafy shoots rise from creeping stems.

Fine blue-violet veins mark the pale flower faces.

HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL • NATIVE & INTRODUCED FORMS

At a glance

Family Plantaginaceae · plantain family
Genus Veronica
Growth Creeping perennial with ascending flowering shoots
Height Often 2–12 inches
Bloom Spring into summer
Habitat Moist lawns, paths, fields, clearings and woodland edges
Status Includes native and introduced forms in North America

Sightings map

Observation maps show reported sightings; they do not define the complete native range.

Field photographs

Explore the veined flowers, opposite oval leaves and upright flowering shoots. Select a photograph to enlarge it.

How to recognize it

Flowers: four unequal lobes, usually white or pale blue with darker blue-violet lines. Two stamens project from the center.

Leaves: small, oval to oblong, in opposite pairs below the flower cluster. Margins are nearly smooth or shallowly toothed.

Flowering shoots: flowers are spaced along a terminal raceme above the leafy stem; smaller bracts accompany the individual flower stalks.

Fruit: flattened capsules are broader than tall, with a notch at the tip and hairs along the edges.

Where and when to look

Search low, moist vegetation in lawns, along paths, at field margins and in woodland clearings. The small pale blossoms can blend into the surrounding grass.

Look for flowers in spring and summer, and include the lower leaves when examining a flowering shoot.

Range & sightings

Thyme-leaf Speedwell is widespread across temperate regions and occurs in Wisconsin and Illinois. North American populations include both native and introduced forms.

The commonly recognized serpyllifolia form is introduced from Europe; humifusa is native in parts of North America. Flower size and the hairs on flower stalks help distinguish them.

Compare other speedwells

Thyme-leaf Speedwell

Veronica serpyllifolia

Common Speedwell

Veronica officinalis

Common Speedwell (Veronica officinalis): a creeping perennial with more distinctly toothed, hairy leaves. Its flower clusters arise from leaf axils rather than ending the main shoot.

Corn Speedwell

Veronica arvensis

Corn Speedwell (Veronica arvensis): an annual with more noticeably hairy, scalloped leaves and very short flower stalks among narrow upper bracts.

Compare the leaves and the position of the entire flower cluster, as well as the flower color.

A closer look at the flowers

The upper flower lobes carry fine colored lines, while the smaller lower lobe gives each blossom an uneven outline. Side views reveal the short flower stalk and green calyx.

As the terminal cluster lengthens, buds, open blossoms and developing capsules can occupy different levels of the same shoot.

What to photograph

Include a flower face, a side view of the flower stalk, opposite lower leaves and the base of the plant. A close view of the stalk hairs and a scale beside the flower are useful for distinguishing the native and introduced forms.

Sources & further reading

Native Plant Trust: identification and native versus introduced forms
Burke Herbarium: description and photographs
Kew: taxonomy and distribution

Keep learning

Explore more species in the guide, then practice recognizing wildflowers in the quiz.

Thyme-leaf Speedwell